Fisher had a severe heart attack while on a flight home to Los Angeles on December 23. The autopsy states that at the time, she had cocaine, heroin, methadone, ecstasy and alcohol in her system. Fisher was open about her battles with addiction for years, and many suspected at the time of her death that drugs played a role.

The report calls sleep apnea the primary reason for her death, and that drug usage was a contributing factor. “Based on the available toxicological information, we cannot establish the significance of the multiple substances that were detected in Ms. Fisher’s blood and tissue, with regard to the cause of death,” according to the coroner. Fisher was also taking several prescription drugs before she died.

My mom battled drug addiction and mental illness her entire life. She ultimately died of it. She was purposefully open in all of her work about the social stigmas surrounding these diseases. She talked about the shame that torments people and their families confronted by these diseases. I know my mom, she’d want her death to encourage people to be open about their struggles. Seek help, fight for government funding for mental health programs. Shame and those social stigmas are the enemies of progress to solutions and ultimately a cure. Love you Momby.